A few short years ago, a case could have been made that the craft beet capital of the United States was somewhere on the West Coast. This area housed many of the breweries that started the craft beer revolution. The same could have been said for the Midwest and all that the Chicago area has to offer. A recent look at some awards, ratings websites and my own observations points to a new location – right here in New England. On the Beeradvocate.com’s Top 250 Beers Worldwide list, 19 of the top 50, 10 of the top 25, four of the top 10 and the No. 1 overall beer in the world come from New England.

Hill Farmstead, Trillium and Tree House occupy most of those spots and have been written about in previous columns. What I have done below is compiled a list of recent additions to the New England craft beer scene. Some of these you might have heard of; others you might not have, but all of them I can wholeheartedly recommend. Either visit the breweries directly or follow my tips at the end of the article and see what you’ve been missing. Cheers!

Proclamation Ale Company, 141 Fairgrounds Road, West Kingston, R.I.
Dave Witham was a musician that started brewing beer as a hobby, and the rest is history. Derivative is the pale ale, and Tendril is the IPA. It sells out fast locally, so if you see it, grab it. There is plenty available in stock at the brewery if you aren’t afraid of a small road trip. Both of these are excellent and on par with the finest pale ales and IPAs our area has to offer. In my opinion, this is one of the best kept secrets right now.

Medusa Brewing Company, 111 Main St., Hudson
Speaking of “best kept secrets,” these folks just took home a gold medal at the World Beer Cup for their Bohemian Style Pilsner. I cannot stress what an incredible accomplishment that is given what a difficult beer that is to brew, in addition the competition they faced. Medusa beat out 64 other entries, some of which came from Germany and Czechoslovakia, where that style of beer originated more than a century ago. Did I mention that the company recently celebrated its first anniversary? It also makes some excellent IPAs; Lazer Cat is one not to be missed.

Deciduous, 12 Weaver St., Newmarket, N.H.
The double IPA Verge is a lovely tropical fruit bomb that is way more drinkable than it should be. It’s the fruited sours that earned my undivided attention, though. They are Berliner sours. I wrote about that style in my last article. Argent has wild blueberries and peaches. Auroral has blood orange or mango and lychee. Lambent has raspberries and passion fruit. These fruited sours are just downright exotic and bring you to a different place. It begins with the lively carbonation dancing on your tongue, followed by the light sweetness of the fruit, then the lemony, dry, sour finish. Hold your opinions until you try one yourself. You won’t regret it. Trust me.

Honest Weight, 131 West Main St., Orange
I started seeing these guys at area festivals and the best beer bars across the state, and it is no accident. Their stouts, saisons and pale ales are all excellent beers. Accidental Wilderness and Branch Ridge are my two personal favorite beers, and they are both low-ABV pale ales. Both of the owner/brewers used to work at Cambridge Brewing Company. I’m looking forward to more great things from them.

Kent Falls Brewing Company, 33 Camps Road, Kent, Conn.
These folks just passed a building inspection in June of this year, but if you want to visit, check the website or call first. This farmhouse brewery in Connecticut, set on an actual farm, brews saisons as good as the best in the business, and the IPAs are no slouches either. One day, I would like to meet whoever names some of the beers. Walking Away in Slow Motion While the Car Explodes Behind You, Jazz Hands and Haircuts For Everybody are some examples. Am I ordering a beer or a bad movie on Netflix? In all seriousness, this is yet another brewery that sells out locally.

Since you’ve read this far, let me give you some tips on how to find these beers – or any beers you have a hankering for.

Beermenus.com is an easy-to-use website that lets you enter in your location and your beer of choice, and it will let you know if one of its participating locations has what you are looking for. This also lets you change your location if you are traveling.

Untapped is an app where people will check in to places and rate beers. This app will allow you to search bars, restaurants, breweries and specific beers. You can also friend people and see what others are drinking.

Cheers!

By Kerry Cyganiewicz